Police standoff with machete-wielding man who held hostages in Tennessee bank ends

Video by Amanda Leigh on Twitter of scene outside of bank in Columbia, TN.

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People watch the hostage situation from across the street outside Community First Bank Friday, Sept. 22, 2017 in Columbia, Tenn.(Photo: Lacy Atkins / The Tennessean, Lacy Atkins / The Tennessean)Buy Photo

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At 10:45 p.m. Friday, dispatchers in Maury County confirmed that police were still on scene with the man inside the bank.

Capt. Jeremy Alsup, of the Columbia Police Department, told reporters the agency had received a report just before 2:30 p.m. about "an armed robbery in progress and a hostage situation" inside Community First Bank & Trust, 501 S. James Campbell Blvd.

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Hostages were held by a man armed with a machete at Community First Bank & Trust in Columbia, Tennessee on Friday, Sept. 22.
Lacy Atkins / The Tennessean

The still unnamed 53-year-old man "entered the bank wielding a machete," Alsup said, holding the victims hostage inside the building.

At 6:30 p.m., all nine had been released, each walking out to cheers from the crowds that had formed around the scene, Alsup said. The suspect remained inside the bank.

"It doesn't appear that robbery is the prime motive," Alsup said, though Alsup didn't elaborate on whether law enforcement suspects the man targeted the bank for another specific reason.

"Now, our goal is to make sure this subject comes out safely," he said.

Alsup said police don't believe the man had a firearm. No injuries have been reported.

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Officers surround the the building outside Community First Bank Friday, Sept. 22, 2017 in Columbia, Tenn.(Photo: Lacy Atkins / The Tennessean, Lacy Atkins / The Tennessean)

Multiple social media users in the area posted photos of police pointing rifles toward the bank.

In addition to the Columbia Police Department, the Maury County Sheriff's Office and Tennessee Highway Patrol were also assisting at the scene Friday.